All Out
by ShadowDragon9000
Summary: Tristan knew that to achieve his goal of becoming an accomplished Pokémon trainer, he would have to work hard. He didn't realize that doing so involved fighting everything from bombings to betrayals. Soon all becomes more difficult than he thought. Tristan figures out that to even make it through his journey alive he has to go all out and become stronger than he thought possible.
1. Chapter 1 - Initium

**Okay first of all, this thing is finally being written! I'm ready to write, and hopefully you all are ready to read. ^_^ It's been a while since I've put any decent amount of effort into writing something like this, so keep that in mind as you read****. So without further ado, I present to you the first chapter of "All In".**

**Chapter One – Initium**

All was dark. And then suddenly, there appeared a bright light. He cried out in confusion, but all that the similarly dressed people around him did was smile and gaze at him. And then suddenly, it all faded into oblivion.

He found himself running about without a care, chasing a small dog creature around in circles. He was seized by a man unexpectedly, but did not put up a fight. The man smiled warmly and brought him inside of a building that was all too familiar. There he was sat down and began to eat alongside the same man and a woman whom he loved dearly. All faded into nothingness yet again.

Confusion. Silence. A hole was created in his heart that day. He asked himself 'Why?', and he asked the woman next to him 'Why?', but she could not give him an answer. And neither could he. His face fell, and his stomach seemed to drop. Falling, falling, falling…

X-X-X-X

Tristan crashed onto the floor with a loud 'Thud'. The fifteen-year-old sat up groggily and rubbed his head in pain.

_What a strange dream… _the teen thought.

Suddenly Tristan heard hurried steps coming from downstairs. He looked across his room to see his mother enter from the stairs, a look of worry plastered on her face.

"Are you alright, dear? What happened?" she questioned.

"I'm fine, Mom," Tristan insisted, "I had a weird dream, that's all."

His mother placed two hands on her hips and sighed.

"If you insist. Sometimes I wonder what goes on inside your head, son," joked his mother. Smiling, she walked over to him and extended her arm. He grabbed it and stood up, thanking her for her help. Tristan then took a cursory glance around his room, noticing the time in the process.

"Oh crap!" the tired teen exclaimed.

"What's wrong now?" his mother quizzed. "Oh, that's right! I forgot to wake you up earlier! You've got to get ready and head to Aquacorde Town ASAP, alright?"

"Yeah, I know. I'll get right on that, Mom." Tristan shook his head in disbelief as his mother walked back down the stairs. _How could I forget what today was? I get my first Pokémon today and I forgot about it!_

Tristan hurriedly threw on some dark blue jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. His blue eyes quickly scanned his 5'5" tall body to make sure he looked fine and then proceeded to slip on his black running shoes. Tristan flew down the stairs, snatching his black eyeglasses along the way, and landed right in front of his door. He grabbed for the handle, shouted a quick "Goodbye" to his mother, and then ran out the door.

His mother smiled and hummed quietly to herself. _They grow up so quickly, don't they?_

X-X-X-X

Tristan exited his house in a rush; he began to walk briskly through the gate of his hometown Vaniville and onto the short dirt path that separated it and Aquacorde Town. As he moved along he started to boil with excitement. To think that he was going to start a Pokémon journey in just a few short minutes! He was ready to explode just thinking about it. Tristan's thoughts occupied him for the next few minutes as he walked the length of the path, and soon he found himself in Aquacorde Town.

The stone pathways and central fountain were quite familiar to him as he strolled through the city, greeting and waving to people as he went. He arrived at a slightly elevated portion of the town, a part where many tables and chairs were placed to allow visitors to sit and relax. He vaguely remembered being instructed to meet there in a letter sent from the professor, so up he went. What he saw, or rather who he saw, surprised him. Tristan grinned when he saw his best friend Dash sitting at one of the tables.

"I didn't expect to see you here!" exclaimed Tristan. Dash's head snapped up and focused on Tristan. The African American teen grinned and stood up.

"Of course I'm here! Did you really think that I'd start without you? I mean, I know I turned 15 a week ago and all, but I figured that it would be cool to start it with a friend," Dash explained. Tristan smiled and fist bumped his much taller friend before sitting down.

"So, how have you been?"

X-X-X-X

Monica was tired. She was pretty darn tired. _After all, _the fifteen-year-old thought, _I only had to wake up at 5 in the morning to get here. But enough of that, I need to figure out where I'm meeting the professor._

Monica wasted no time in travelling across the small town, putting her new running shoes to good use. Soon she began to pass by a fountain in the middle of the town. _Now if I remember correctly, the professor said that the meeting place shouldn't be too far from this fountain… _The tired teen absentmindedly pushed her glasses back to the top of her nose and sighed.

"Hopefully I'll find it soon…" she muttered.

X-X-X-X

Many minutes had gone by since Tristan had met up with Dash, and the two were starting to wonder where the heck the professor was.

"I wonder where Professor Sycamore is. Do you think he forgot somehow?" Tristan inquired. Dash shook his head in disagreement.

"I doubt it. He probably just ran into a bit of a hold up at his lab. And don't forget, Lumiose City is pretty far from here," Dash replied. Tristan shrugged.

"I guess." Tristan sighed with boredom and examined his surroundings in an attempt to spot the late professor. Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed a moving object. Tristan turned around and saw a thin girl walk up the stairs. She was short, but not too short, perhaps an inch or two shorter than he was. Her blue eyes nervously flitted between him and Dash, and her hand came up to brush a stray strand of blond hair from her face.

"I-Is this where I'm supposed to meet the professor?" she probed shyly. Dash smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, this is the place. I didn't know we were going to have another new trainer, though. It's nice to meet you! My name's Dash, what's yours?"

Monica, overwhelmed by Dash's very forward and amicable greeting, nervously sat down at the table between him and Tristan and didn't respond. Dash shot a glance at Tristan before shrugging and staring off into space.

_The professor better get here soon. I'm getting bored _**(AN: Like this chapter. Sorry /3) **_and things are starting to become awkward. _Tristan thought.

As if on cue, Professor Sycamore himself jogged up the stairs with a briefcase in his hand. The professor, out of breath, uttered many long apologies to the three teens before setting the briefcase on the table.

"I'm terribly sorry for being so late! You see, my watch's time was off and by the time I realized it I was late. I hope I didn't keep you three waiting for too long. But enough of that!" the professor exclaimed, not giving the trio time to respond, "I've got the three starter Pokémon here! You'll have the choice between Froakie, Chespin, and Fennekin! Now go ahead and pick who you'd like!" The three teens were taken aback by the professor's quick speaking, but then stopped and realized something: Who did they want?

**My gosh. Train wreck much? XD I'm sorry that you had to read that. I didn't have much of a plan (note that I did have a plan) walking into this chapter, so sorry about that. Being the first chapter I knew that I would have to get the boring intro out of the way, and by the time I included the details that I needed to, it was pretty long. So, I had to cut it off with a scatterbrained professor asking the three trainers what Pokémon they wanted. So what did they pick? Feel free to guess, but you'll just have to wait until the next chapter.**

**So yeah, I know this was boring. Trust me, I'll have to do these sometimes to introduce characters/build on the plot, etc. After this though you'll get to see a battle or two as well as what Pokémon were picked. So feel free to review and tell me what I need to improve on. Thanks for reading thus far. ^_^**

**Questions that you can answer for the LOLs:**

**Who will choose what starter?**

**What does the title mean and what language is it?**


	2. Chapter 2 - Proelium

**Well, I'm glad to see that I got a response or two from people. :) Hopefully I won't disappoint the people who are reading and will read this. I'll try to write chapters at a good pace. (Hopefully I won't run into writers block. I don't think it will happen anytime soon though). But enough of that; let me address some of the reviews specifically.**

** Farla – I've got to thank you for at least being honest. I will take the time to address a few items that you mentioned, if you don't mind. About the waking up thing: I agree with you. In regards to the capitalization thing: I've seen many people debate with you on this (often times bitterly). Hopefully I will not be one of the people that do so. I know that you deem it grammatically correct to not capitalize a word unless it's being used as a name, but I've always seen things such as Pikachu capitalized. It seems more natural to me and, to be honest, looks better (and more correct). Remember, I don't want to argue with you about this. About the trainer thing: Trainers must wait until 10 years old to start, but they do not have to start at age 10. Also I can change the criteria for being a trainer since my story may not strictly follow game/anime guidelines. And finally, the character was bored waiting on Professor Sycamore. I did not say I was bored writing the story, though it may have seemed that way. (But you are right when you say that I shouldn't throw comments into the middle of the story). Thank you for reviewing with honesty. :)**

** FlameStriker123 – Thanks for the positive comments my friend! Also you don't have to worry about me giving up any time soon. And you were close to getting that question right, but you were off by one. Which one, you ask? Well, continue reading. ^_^**

** El Torro – Thank you for the (overall) compliment. :) And yes, I do agree that it's been used quite often. And as for your two guesses, you were pretty off on the first, and very correct on the second. Thanks for the review!**

**Also for everyone that wants to know, the title of chapter 1 was Latin for beginning. I thought it was somewhat fitting. (All of my chapters will have Latin titles by the way, so if you want to know what it means you can look it up). So, without further ado, I present to you Chapter 2 of "All Out". Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2 – Proelium**

The three teens merely sat there in hesitation and conflict. What Pokémon would they choose? How could they choose without making the others mad? How could they even _begin_? It was Dash who spoke up finally.

"I don't know about you two, but I've always said let the lady go first. So if you want to, Monica, you can go," Dash opined. The purple clad female perked up upon hearing his words.

"Y-You mean that you don't mind if I pick first? Are you sure?" she inquired. Tristan shook his head and smiled.

"Go ahead! Honestly, Dash and I don't mind. Choose who you want to." Monica smiled.

"Thank you." Carefully, Monica lifted her hand above the case with the Poké Balls and sighed. _Who to choose? _she pondered. After a few moments of deliberation she picked up the Poké Ball on the far right.

"I've always wanted a Fennekin of my own," said Monica with a smile. Professor Sycamore nodded firmly.

"A great choice! Now what about you gentlemen?" Tristan and Dash looked at each other and then back at the case.

"You can choose first," Dash offered.

"Are you sure?" Tristan responded. Dash nodded.

"Absolutely. Go ahead!" Tristan shrugged and reached for the case. He didn't even bother to think about his choice. He had wanted this Pokémon ever since he had seen it and its evolutions.

"I'll pick Froakie!" he stated with finality. Dash gasped.

"Dude! No way! I actually wanted Chespin!" Dash chuckled and then high-fived his best friend.

Professor Sycamore then grabbed the case and shut it quickly. He looked like he was about to say something, but then stopped once he dug inside the bag next to him.

"So now that you have all chosen your Pokémon, I need to give you these…" The professor brought out three red devices in the shape of rectangles. They had blinking lights and a screen on them, as well as a few buttons on the side. He handed the three devices to each trainer.

"As I'm sure you all know, that device that I just gave you is the Pokédex! It records the data of any and all Pokémon that you see or catch. It can also tell you useful stuff such as what level your Pokémon are or what moves they know. So that's about all I have to give you. Do you have any questions that I can answer?" Professor Sycamore inquired.

"No, sir, I'm fine. Thank you," Monica responded. Both Tristan and Dash shook their heads and mirrored Monica's answered.

"Alright then, it was good to meet you all! I wish you three the best of luck on your adventures, and don't forget to have fun!" the professor exclaimed. The tall, dark haired man grinned and waved as he walked away. The three teens waved back and watched him as he walked off into the distance.

"Man…" Tristan breathed, "We're Pokémon trainers now. I'm so excited!" Suddenly Monica's facial expression went from one of shyness to one of excitement.

"You wouldn't mind battling me, would you?" Monica requested.

"I would love to battle, actually. You're on!" Tristan shot back. The two novice trainers stood up and walked down onto the lower level of the city with anticipation flowing through their veins. Monica and Tristan held up their Poké Balls at the same time.

"Fennekin/Froakie, it's time!" they cried in unison. On Monica's side of the field appeared a small yellow fox-like creature with large tufts of red fur sticking out of its ears. The small fox immediately growled at Froakie before hopping back near its trainer.

On Tristan's side of the battlefield appeared a light blue frog. It had proportionally large yellow eyes and a white collar around its neck that was akin to bubbles. The small frog smiled and hopped to and fro; it was ready for battle.

"Ladies first," Tristan remarked, half joking, half serious. Monica giggled.

"Polite as always. Alright, Fennekin, start off with Growl!" The small fox opened its mouth and let out a cute growl that somehow managed to lower Froakie's attack.

"Retaliate with Leer, Froakie, and then hit Fennekin with Pound!" The light blue frog glared at Fennekin, lowering its defense, and then ran in with a glowing white fist. For a second Tristan swore he saw Froakie shine grey, but the shine disappeared as the frog clobbered Fennekin and forced the small fox backwards. Monica bit her lip. _Dang, that did a decent amount of damage! I wonder why? I did lower Froakie's attack… Perhaps the defense drop cancelled it out? But no, that makes no sense… I must be overthinking things. Focus, Monica!_

"Fennekin are you alright?" Monica asked with worry in her voice. Fennekin managed to stand up, but Monica did notice that she was a little slow in doing so. Nonetheless, she smiled.

"Good job, Fennekin! Hit Froakie right back with Scratch!" The fox Pokémon obeyed and dashed for the frog, only to have it dodge. Time and time again it rushed Froakie, but the nimble Pokémon just kept dodging. Froakie continued to evade until finally it tripped over itself and fell to the ground.

"Froakie!" Tristan cried.

"Now's your chance, Fennekin!" Monica shouted. The fox began to speed up, and finally raked its claws into Froakie's side. The bubble-wearing amphibian was sent rolling along the ground and finally landed in front of Tristan.

"Are you alright, Froakie?" he quizzed. Froakie shook its head violently and hopped up with a cry, as if to say: "I'm fine!" Tristan smiled.

"Great, now let's try and wrap this up with a final Pound!"

"Fennekin, let's give Scratch a shot!" Monica retaliated. Again Tristan thought that he saw Froakie shine grey for a split second before enveloping its fist in a white light. But the shine disappeared as soon as it came.

_I must be seeing things. _he thought. He was snapped back to the battle as he watched his starter speed right at Fennekin to hit it straight on the head. The two Pokémon were locked in place as one tried to overpower the other. Every time Fennekin would push Froakie, Froakie would push back. Neither Pokémon wanted to let their trainer down; neither wanted to lose the battle.

After a few more seconds of stalemate, Froakie broke through and smashed Fennekin to the ground with a glowing fist. Fennekin was revealed to have swirls for eyes, which meant that the battle was over. Monica sighed and returned her fainted fox, while Tristan cheered and thanked Froakie for his hard work. The two approached each other and smiled.

"Thanks for battling with me, Tristan, I enjoyed it," Monica opined.

"It was a good battle, Monica, and I enjoyed it too," he agreed. The two trainers shook hands and then put away their Poké Balls.

"Man, I wish I could've battled one of you! Oh well, I'll get to battling eventually," Dash sighed. Tristan locked eyes with him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah! And when you do get there, you'll do well. I'm looking forward to battling you sometime, Dash." Dash smiled.

"Thanks, Tristan, me too," Dash replied.

The two best friends grinned and laughed and, taking Monica with them, had their Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center. The trio ended up staying the night in the Pokémon Center, all of them excited for what was in store in the morning.

X-X-X-X

Tristan quietly sat at a table in the corner of the Pokémon Center. The new trainer took a sip of water while gazing absently at the TV. There was some news story being covered, but he wasn't really paying attention to it. He was more excited about continuing his journey.

The tired teenager finished his water with a gulp and tossed the plastic cup into the trashcan. He remembered Dash and Monica telling him that he could leave if he woke up before them, and that they didn't mind, but it still felt wrong in a way. Tristan shook his head.

_They agreed to it, I guess. I might as well get a head start on my journey while I can. Those two will prove themselves to be tough adversaries in battle, I'm sure of it._

Luke yawned and dashed out of the Pokémon Center with Froakie's Poké Ball in hand. The teen found a new sense of excitement welling up inside of him. As he exited the quiet area of Aquacorde, he smiled to himself. _Alright, let's do this!_

X-X-X-X

**And that is Chapter 2, my friends. Feel free to leave any feedback that you have on the chapter, I would appreciate it. :) Also, things will start to pick up a bit more in the next chapter (I won't say what happens, but it's something good). Feel free to make predictions on what happens next.**

**Anyways, I hope this was worth the wait. (Speaking of the wait, I took waaayyy too long to write this thing). But thanks for sticking with me and leaving your honest feedback. Later!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Impetus

**Okay, so now I've posted 2 chapters, and this is going to be the third. But before we get into that, I'd just like to thank those who have reviewed the story so far, I appreciate it! :) Now time to address reviews!**

** FlameStriker123 – Thanks for the review! And I'm very glad that you mentioned the thing about Froakie, but you'll have to wait to see what's going on. :P Also, about the Poké Ball thing… Well, you'll see.**

**Anyways, here's Chapter 3. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3 – Impetus**

Tristan walked onto Route 2 and, seeing all of the groups of trees and all of the tall grass around, grinned stupidly. _I'm so ready for this. And maybe, just maybe, I can catch a new Pokémon for the team. That would be great!_

Tristan tossed a Poké Ball into the air and watched as Froakie appeared with a flash. The small frog laughed and hopped around on the grass, taking in the large open space before him. Tristan chuckled at Froakie's excitement.

"I'm excited too, Froakie. So what do you say we do some training on this route and maybe catch another teammate?" Tristan opined. Froakie cried happily and hopped away into the tall grass.

"I'll take that as a yes… Oh, Froakie wait up!"

X-X-X-X

Tristan plopped down onto a tree stump in exhaustion. Training your Pokémon for a few hours while having to run back and forth between Aquacorde Town and Route 2 was not fun, to say the least. The young teen wiped his forehead and began to drink some water as he watched his friendly water starter take small bites out of an oran berry.

"You've gotten stronger, Froakie. It's awesome to see you so ready to work, to be honest," the teen praised. Froakie rubbed the back of his head and smiled, slightly embarrassed from its trainer's kind words. Tristan lifted the water bottle to his mouth and Froakie reached down for another oran berry when the blue frog whipped its head to the side. The bubble-wearing frog swore that it caught a glimpse of something running through the tall grass, but decided it was nothing. Tristan, not noticing anything, stood up.

"Alright, Froakie, what do you say we attempt at catching another friend?" he inquired. Froakie hopped up and cheered in excitement. Tristan chuckled and reached into his pocket for something.

"Okay then, let's go catch our first teammate…" Tristan trailed off, leaving Froakie confused.

"CRAP!"

X-X-X-X

"That will be 200 Pokédollars! Would you like to buy anything else?" asked a brown haired man that was sitting behind the counter. Tristan shook his head and sighed.

"No, that will be all. Thank you, sir," the annoyed trainer replied. The clerk smiled and nodded his head.

"Thank you for shopping at the Poké Mart! Have a nice day!" he beamed. Tristan pocketed his newly purchased items and then walked out of the blue-roofed building. The trainer opted to release his frog starter once he was outside. The amphibian looked up at him with large yellow eyes and gave Tristan a questioning look.

"Yeah, I did just buy Poké Balls, if you were wondering. I still can't believe that the professor forgot to give us Poké Balls of all things! But it's fine, I guess, since we have them now," answered he. The bubble-wearing creature cheered; now it could find a new friend for the team!

Tristan mimicked the Pokémon's excitement equally._ I can't wait to catch another Pokémon. It makes me wonder what Pokémon I'll catch…_

Tristan began to absentmindedly walk through Aquacorde Town towards Route 2, not even paying attention to his surroundings. But Froakie, being a very observant creature, was focusing on its surroundings. It could have sworn that it saw movement in the corner of its eye. Tristan noticed this and turned around.

"Are you alright Froakie? What's wrong?" inquired the concerned trainer. The frog remained in a crouched position and listened intently for a sound. Suddenly it spotted movement to the right and snapped its head in that direction. The Pokémon rubbed its head in embarrassment when it realized it was merely a trash bag being blown away by the wind. Tristan chuckled.

"You're overreacting, Froakie. Come on, let's get going to the next town, alright?" Froakie nodded and began to walk calmly next to its trainer, shaking its head at its own nerves. Suddenly it hit Froakie, and it hit hard. The blue creature was sent tumbling across the road as it cried in pain. Tristan reacted almost instantly and ran to his partner.

"What? Froakie what happened?" the trainer asked. Froakie hopped up and glared at an object a few meters away. Tristan turned his head and his gaze met something else's gaze. A small grey bunny stood before him with large ears that had brown tips. It glared at him and began to hop side to side with small brown feet, occasionally using its large ears to throw punches into the air.

"Oh, it's a Bunnelby! This guy must be looking for a fight, Froakie, are you ready?" Froakie cried out and hopped a few feet away from the small rabbit before him.

"Let's start with Bubble, Froakie!" Tristan commanded. Multiple bubbles were projected from the starter's mouth, but they were easily dodged.

"Chase it with Quick Attack!" Froakie pursued the rabbit with great speed, quickly enough to see white streaks come off of the Pokémon. Recognizing this Bunnelby responded with its own Quick Attack.

The two rammed into each other time after time, neither refusing to back down. Finally Froakie pushed through and sent Bunnelby flying backwards. Luckily Froakie's eared adversary caught itself before it fell.

"Don't let up! Use Quick Attack again!" Froakie nodded and sped at Bunnelby. Tristan swore once again that he saw Froakie shine gray, but he dismissed it. Tristan focused back on the battle at hand when Froakie and Bunnelby once again collided with another Quick Attack.

"Jump, Froakie, and use Bubble!" Tristan shouted. Nimbly the frog leapt up, and shining blue, rained bubbles upon the defenseless bunny. Bunnelby cried out as it was pelted with the water attack and then fell down.

"One last Bubble should do it, Froakie!" The frog obeyed without hesitation and unleashed a final wave of bubbles at the downed rabbit. It was a direct hit, or so Tristan thought. The ever so resilient Pokémon refused to stay down, and it rose with two glowing ears.

"Be on your guard, Froakie, Bunnelby knows Double Slap!" Tristan warned. But his warning was too little, too late as he watched Froakie get slapped violently to the ground by Bunnelby. The rabbit's ears stopped glowing as it walked up to Froakie, who was stuck in the ground.

"Get out of there!" shouted Tristan worriedly. It took all he had not to return Froakie then and there. He had to trust his Pokémon to do well.

Bunnelby finally came to a stop in front of the stuck frog and Tristan saw it raise its ears yet again. The trainer raised his Poké Ball and sighed.

"Froakie, retu-." Tristan cut himself off for the second time as he watched a flurry of bubbles crash into the unsuspecting rabbit's face. Bunnelby toppled over and fell onto the ground with swirls for eyes, and Froakie hopped out of the hole with a cheer. Tristan's jaw dropped.

"Dang! Froakie, you scared me! Great job though, you did great," Tristan praised. Froakie smiled. Tristan, however, scratched his head.

"I guess we have to take Bunnelby to the Pokémon Center now. Alright, come on, Froakie."

X-X-X-X

Tristan looked up the see a somewhat tall lady with a warm smile and pink hair walk out of a door. She was pushing a cart with the recently fought Bunnelby sitting on it. This woman, known to all as Nurse Joy, smoothed her white apron and beamed at Tristan.

"This Bunnelby is all healed up and ready to go!" she informed him.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Nurse Joy smiled at him and, grabbing the cart, walked to the back of the Pokémon Center. Tristan then shifted his focus to the rabbit before him.

"You're pretty strong, Bunnelby. You certainly gave Froakie and I a run for our money, so I'll give you that. With that being said, I've decided this: If you want to go with Froakie and I to battle and meet all kinds of people, you can. If not, then you can go back to wherever you go. You won't hurt my feelings, I promise. What do you say?" the trainer inquired.

Bunnelby absentmindedly scratched its head with its ears and began to mull over the idea of going with Tristan. Finally, it used one of its ears to reach into Tristan's pocket and grabbed a Poké Ball. Without a second thought the Pokémon hit the white button on the Poké Ball and was sucked inside. The spherical device wiggled once, twice, three times before coming to a rest.

"No way," Tristan murmured, "I just caught my first Pokémon!"

X-X-X-X

**Yayyy! Tristan caught something! So yes, Bunnelby is now an official member of Team Tristan. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, by the way. Hopefully it was worth the wait.**

**Speaking of the wait, I'm going to try and write two more chapters and post them this week. (Remember that I'm going to post 1-2 chapters per week, but I'm going with 3 this week because I took so long to write this one). So yeah, look forward to that and review as you see fit.**

**One more thing: Sorry if I don't address all of the reviews in the beginning of the chapter. I'll try to, but I may miss some.**

**Question time!**

**Why the heck does Froakie keep having this "shine"? (I'll be asking this for a while. So basically you won't be getting an answer or any hints until the chapter I decide to reveal it).**

**Tristan's Pokémon:**

**Froakie – Level 8 – Pound, Leer, Quick Attack, Bubble**

**Bunnelby – Level 10 – Tackle, Agility, Quick Attack, Double Slap**


	4. Chapter 4 - Malus

**I'm glad to see that those who are reviewing are enjoying the story so far! Just remember to review with your honest opinion on the chapter.**

** ElTorro – I'm glad you agree! I love Bunnelby. :) Also, referring to your review on chapter 2, I'm glad that you like Monica and Dash. That was my intent, after all. Thanks for the review!**

** FlameStriker123 – Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the new addition to the team. As for the amount of Pokémon Tristan will catch, I can and will tell you now that we will catch exactly 7 Pokémon (Froakie included).**

**Alright, so last chapter Tristan caught a Bunnelby and added the rabbit creature to his team. With this new addition, Tristan begins to look towards his upcoming gym battle in Santalune City. Meanwhile, Monica and Dash run into a bit of trouble. So let's begin with Chapter 4 of "All Out". Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4 – Malus**

Tristan sat lazily at a table in the corner of the Pokémon Center and, without thinking about it, began to roll Bunnelby's Poké Ball around on the table. The teen yawned as he watched the late night news program on TV. Nearby he could hear Froakie and Bunnelby speaking to each other and laughing cheerfully. Tristan smiled; not even a late hike through Santalune Forest could put a damper on their spirits.

It was this thought that finally made him focus on something other than the TV. _I'm in Santalune City, _the teen thought, _Which means that I can go ahead and challenge the gym here. I would go tomorrow, but I want to train Froakie and Bunnelby a bit more… _The teenager ran a hand through his brown hair and muttered something unintelligible.

"Froakie, Bunnelby, why don't you two take a rest? We're going to have our first gym battle tomorrow, so it would be great if you two were in tip-top shape, alright?" Tristan instructed. The frog and rabbit nodded and obediently entered their Poké Balls. Tristan then stood up silently and exited the Pokémon Center. _I'm going for a walk, _he decided.

X-X-X-X

The two sat in utter silence. One of them, a man who was clothed in all black, groaned in frustration.

"I can't believe we let that kid get by! We were told specifically to cut him off, right?" the man inquired. The woman next to him, who was also clothed in all black, nodded.

"We were, but we completely missed him," she responded. "But luckily we have a Plan B just in case something like this happened. Just give it a few more minutes…" The man sighed and crossed his arms impatiently, grumbling about the wait.

Minutes passed, and it seemed like nothing was going to happen at all. But out of the blue the darkly dressed duo heard voices from several yards away. It sounded like a boy and girl. The woman in black smiled.

"There we go," she whispered.

X-X-X-X

Monica and Dash both yawned simultaneously as they walked through Santalune Forest.

"Who's idea was it to walk through the forest at night, again?" Monica grumbled. Dash chuckled.

"I thought it was a good idea at the time, okay? But it doesn't matter, we're almost at the end of the forest," Dash responded. Suddenly Monica paused.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. Dash tilted his head in confusion.

"Hear what?" the tired teen asked. Suddenly, they saw a man in all black walk out of the trees. Monica placed a hand on her chest and sighed.

"Geez! That startled me. It's just someone else walking through the forest though," she muttered to herself. As she said this, the man turned to them and, with a face of surprise, greeted them.

"Oh! I didn't see you two there!" he exclaimed, "Would you mind helping me? I've gotten lost in the forest." Dash, always being eager to help, nodded.

"Of course! We're close to being out of the forest, actually. You can come with us, if you want," he offered. Monica made a face.

"Dash are you sure?" the shy girl whispered, "We don't know this guy, and I'd rather not walk with him." Dash scoffed.

"We're fine, Monica, I promise. We've got our Pokémon if anything goes wrong, you know?" Dash reassured her. Monica sighed.

"I guess." And then, silently, the two new trainers began to walk forward down the path before them. Dash motioned for the man to follow, and then began to chat with Monica again. Behind them the man smiled. _Too easy._

The man in black began to advance, unbeknownst to the two trainers before him. He quickly checked his pockets for something and, seeing that he had what he was looking for, continued on with his plan. He silently raised his hand and delivered a sharp blow to the back of Monica's head. The girl cried out in pain and crashed to the ground unconscious.

Dash leapt back and turned around with wide eyes, only to be met with an uppercut to the jaw. The man in black ran at him again with arms raised. Dash blocked his first punch and then dealt a blow to the man's ribs, but was kicked roughly to the ground. Dash moaned and tried to get up.

"Nighty night, kid!" the man chimed. A kick to the face was all it took, and Dash was out.

The man wiped his hands on his jeans and stretched his arms. His accomplice approached him from behind.

"Nice job, but be louder next time, would ya?" she stated sarcastically, "But no matter. Take my Poké Ball, I'll be right back." The man rolled his eyes and took the Poké Ball that she offered. He watched her walk away towards the exit of the forest and sighed. _All is going well so far. Now where did I leave that rope?_

X-X-X-X

Tristan yawned. _Man I'm tired, _he thought to himself. Luckily for him, he was a few feet away from the Pokémon Center. Suddenly he heard someone shout something.

Tristan turned around to see a woman in all black run towards him. She seemed to be out of breath, making the teen wonder what was going on. After a few more seconds of breathing the woman spoke up.

"You… You've got to help me, please! M-My Pokémon! It ran off to play in the forest and I lost it! Please, you _must _help me!" she pleaded. Tristan took a moment to register the information and then responded immediately.

"Of course I'll help! Man, that must be so horrible to have your Pokémon run off like that… Show me the way!" The woman smiled at him genuinely.

"Thank you so much! Come on, this way!"

X-X-X-X

***Monica's POV*******

I woke up with a horrible pain in my neck. I went to go rub the back of my neck instinctively but found that I couldn't. My eyes widened. _That's right, _I thought, _that man following us probably did this._

I looked around and, proving my suspicion, saw Dash tied up next to me conversing with the man who followed us. The cruel man laughed.

"Ah, just deal with it, kid. I'll have you know that I'll be letting you go soon enough. But, not before I take a crack at that friend of yours," he taunted. I felt fear and concern rise up inside of me.

_He's after Tristan? What would he possibly want with him? _I thought in confusion. I decided to voice my concerns.

"What do you want with him?" I inquired. My captor merely laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to know? And why do you care so much? What, are you his girlfriend or somethin'? Well guess what, missy, you'll just have to wait!" he replied with a smug look. I sighed; clearly I was not going to get the answer I wanted. It was then that I heard voices in the distance, and I saw the man smile.

"Ah, there they are now!" he exclaimed. I paled. _Oh no._

X-X-X-X

***Regular 3****rd**** Person POV***

Tristan followed the woman into the forest and came to an area that seemed to be a bit clearer. He noticed that the woman stopped.

"Is this where you last saw your – What?" Tristan's jaw would've dropped lower if it could have.

"What did you do?" he asked angrily. Now it was Dash's turn to be surprised. _Oh dang. He never gets mad, and I mean never! Someone's Ryhorn once crashed into his house and he just laughed about it, but this is different… _The woman that Tristan followed smiled and stood next to the man in black.

"You see, we brought you out here to have a battle! You do know what a battle is, don't you?" the woman replied in a snide manner. The man next to her rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Abby. We're here to battle, not hear you run your mouth." Abby frowned and then grabbed her Poké Ball from his hand.

"Can it, Josh, I didn't ask for your opinion!" she countered. Then, without giving Josh time to reply, Abby sent out a purple scorpion Pokémon.

"Skorupi," Abby said calmly, "guard the two tied up, and guard them carefully." Tristan was about to speak when Josh spoke up.

"Did you honestly think that we would leave your friends unguarded? Keep this in mind, kid: You try to run or save your friends before the battle is over and they get a nice dose of Skorupi poison. I've heard that it kills people in about 3 seconds." Tristan clenched his fists. There was nothing else he could do but battle his way out of this.

"Alright, let's do this!" he cried.

X-X-X-X

**Well dang. Tristan just wanted to chill. It's all he wanted! But no, a mysterious duo had to tie up his friends and challenge him to a battle! Will Tristan be able to overcome this challenge and save Monica and Dash? That's up to you to figure out.**

**And what are these two up to anyways? Do you think they have a reason, and if so what is it? Feel free to answer this in the review that you may or may not write.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this, by the way. There will be another chapter to come by the end of the week!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Vinco

**Time to address reviews:**

**FlameStriker123 – Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you approve of the chapter as well as the temporary POV change. I felt like mixing it up for once. :P Also, just in case you didn't bother to look it up, malus means bad or evil. Close enough. But seriously, thanks for the review! (And you may be right about these two. You'll have to see!)**

** El Torro – "Yaaaay, beating up kids is fun!" (Said nobody ever [I hope]). But yes, some early craziness has been thrown your way. :) Thanks for the review!**

**So, last chapter Tristan, Monica, and Dash were met with something unexpected. Now Tristan must attempt to battle a strange man named Josh in hopes of freeing his friends. Will we succeed, or will he fall short? Well, you'll find out now! Enjoy Chapter 5!**

**Chapter 5 – Vinco**

Tristan let out a nervous sigh and reached for a Poké Ball, but stopped himself.

"How about a double battle?" he requested. The man before him shrugged and smiled.

"I'm all for it. I'll get to kick your butt twice! Go, Murkrow and Timburr!" Josh shouted. In a bright flash appeared two Pokémon. One was a crow with black feathers and dull red eyes, and the other was a humanoid Pokémon with large pink veins around its body. It hoisted a large piece of wood and swung it around with ease. Tristan immediately grabbed for his Pokémon.

"Go, Froakie and Bunnelby!" he shouted. The blue amphibian and grey rabbit Pokémon landed in front of their trainer with a flash and, immediately noticing Monica and Dash tied up, became serious. Josh raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, is that Froakie of yours…? Well dang, I guess it is! You're quite lucky to have a Froakie like that, it's not everyday that a trainer gets a shiny Pokémon. But enough of that, let's get on with the battle, kid!" Josh exclaimed. Tristan's eyed widened slightly.

_Wait, Froakie's a shiny Pokémon? No way, I've got to be so lucky! No wonder Froakie shines all the time… _Tristan chuckled in spite of himself. Only he could be excited like this in the midst of a bad situation. The teen shook his head and focused on the battle.

"Alright, both of you charge Timburr with Quick Attack!" Tristan called. Both Bunnelby and Froakie charged at the humanoid Pokémon quickly, but all it did was stand there. Suddenly, right when the two reached Timburr, it blocked them with its wooden plank.

"Now, Murkrow, Pursuit!" Josh ordered. Murkrow surrounded itself in a black aura and charged at Bunnelby and Froakie. The two unprepared Pokémon were unable to dodge and were sent rolling across the ground.

"Follow up with Pound, Timburr!" Timburr leapt into the air brandishing a glowing block of wood and brought it down onto Tristan's Pokémon. And then, suddenly:

"Catch it with your ears, Bunnelby!" Tristan countered. Bunnelby did as it was told and caught the plank, allowing Froakie to jump at Timburr and swat it to the ground with Pound. Josh's Timburr grunted in pain but shook it off and jumped back up. It was then Tristan realized that he had lost track of Murkrow.

"Froakie, Bunnelby, watch out for Murkrow! It could be anywhere," the teen warned. Just as he said this, Timburr leapt at Froakie with its wooden weapon.

"Catch it again, Bunnelby!" The rabbit Pokémon caught the plank of wood flawlessly, once again leaving Timburr helpless. Froakie jumped up to smack Timburr on the head again when it was met with a sharp blow via Murkrow's Peck attack. The black crow Pokémon snickered and went on to slap Bunnelby away with its wing.

"Retreat for now, Murkrow and Timburr!" Josh called out. The two obeyed their trainer immediately and awaited their next order. This gave Froakie and Bunnelby time to get up, and it was then that Tristan noticed how tired his Pokémon were becoming. The trainer frowned slightly. He was never one for taking risks, but he decided that he had to if he were to end the battle soon.

"Froakie, into the trees!" Tristan shouted. Josh smiled.

"After it, Murkrow!" Both Pokémon ascended and hid themselves amongst the leaves. Nobody made a move until Tristan went on the offensive.

"Bunnelby go in with Quick Attack and then use Double Slap!" Tristan said with newfound confidence. The small rodent sped towards its humanoid opponent, who raised a wooden block in defense. Bunnelby's ear slapped uselessly against Timburr's wooden shield of sorts, but an ear finally managed to connect with Timburr's face. The fighting type stumbled backwards, allowing for Bunnelby to ram it with another Quick Attack.

"Now, Froakie, finish Timburr with Bubble!" Tristan cried. Froakie unexpectedly hurled itself down from the shadowy leaves above and rained bubbles upon the shocked fighting type Pokémon. Timburr finally gave into fatigue after the attack finished and fell over with swirls for eyes. Josh muttered a swear under his breath and returned Timburr.

"Murkrow, attack when you feel the need to with Peck," Josh instructed his Pokémon calmly.

"Make sure to be on your guard, you two," Tristan warned. And then all was quiet. The Pokémon and trainers sat there in silence and listened to the wind rustling through the leaves. Tristan watched as the moon rose higher into sky. _Man, it's getting late. I need to finish this now and then get to Monica and Dash…_

The trainer was snapped out of his musings by a loud cry. Tristan snapped his head to the battlefield just in time to see Murkrow swoop down and slam Froakie to the ground with its wing. Bunnelby instinctively tried to swat at the crow with both of its ears but the black bird blocked them with its beak. Luckily Froakie got back up and tackled Murkrow to the ground, and the two started fighting.

"Get out of there, Murkrow!" Josh commanded. The crow Pokémon flapped its wings hurriedly and kicked up some of the dirt on the ground. Murkrow's amphibian adversary shouted in annoyance as dirt was thrown into its eyes, and that gave Murkrow time to escape. But the bird's victory was short lived. On Tristan's command, Bunnelby swatted Murkrow down with two glowing ears. Dust and dirt particles were thrown into the air from the impact. Josh growled in aggravation.

"Crap…" he muttered, already knowing the outcome, "Murkrow, return." Josh shook his head in anger.

"You're strong, surprisingly so. Believe me, I'm not really a pushover, but you made me seem like one," Josh stated, "And as much as it pains me to admit it, you were the stronger trainer today, kid. But don't think you'll be getting off easy. I'll come back for revenge sooner or later; so don't forget it! Let's go, Abby."

Grudgingly, Josh loosened Monica and Dash's ropes and then walked away. Abby rolled her eyes, returned Skorupi, and then jogged after Josh.

"See ya later, wimps!" said she. Monica sighed.

"I'm too tired to think of a response, and much too tired to try and process what just happened. Thanks for the save though, Tristan, I appreciate it," Monica said appreciatively. Dash nodded in agreement. Tristan shrugged.

"No problem. I'm just glad that they're gone. Speaking of which, I owe that win to these two," Tristan praised. Froakie smiled slightly and Bunnelby jumped for joy. Tristan laughed.

"Alright," Tristan said as he returned his Pokémon, "let's head back to the Pokémon Center. I'm tired!" The teen received two wholehearted 'Yeses' from his friends, and the three walked back to the Pokémon Center together.

X-X-X-X

Josh smirked as he removed a phone from his pocket. Abby sat beside him.

"That went just as expected," the man in black said. The woman nodded.

"The Boss'll be happy to know, that's for sure," she agreed. Josh touched the phone's screen and the phone began to ring.

"Hello, Boss," Josh greeted, "Yes, it's over… Did I win? Nope, just like you wanted, right? That kid won with both Pokémon left. He's strong alright… Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. I'll make sure to do that, thanks Boss." Josh ended the call and pocketed his phone. Abby glanced at her partner in crime.

"Why did the Boss want you to lose again?" she questioned. Josh shrugged.

"Not sure. Don't get me wrong, the Boss told me to try my hardest and all, but they still wanted me to lose. Who knows? I'm sure the Boss has good reasoning behind it, though," Josh opined, "But that's behind us. We need to get moving." Abby nodded.

"Yep, let's get going. We still have one more thing to do…"

X-X-X-X

**Aye aye aye. I was hoping to get this thing out over the weekend, but I remembered that I had a (pretty much) day-long event to go to. But no matter, the chapter is here! **

**And yes, it looks like this isn't the last time that we'll see Josh! So yeah, dun dun duuuuunnn! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter by the way. :)**

**Questions:**

**What was that? Why do you think Josh and Abby let Tristan and the others off the hook so easily?**

**How do you feel about shiny Froakie? (I love shiny Greninja soooo…)**

**Tristan's Team:**

**Froakie – Level 10 – Bubble, Pound, Lick, Quick Attack**

**Bunnelby – Level 11 – Quick Attack, Double Slap, Agility, Tackle**


	6. Chapter 6 - Clades

**Address the reviews! :D**

** FlameStriker123 – Yes, Froakie is a shiny! Tristan is lucky indeed… Also, to respond to your answers: I won't tell you anything. :P You'll have to stay tuned for more! Also shiny Froakie is cool, but shiny Greninja is awesome. Thanks for the review!**

** ElTorro – Thank you for the review! Yes, Froakie and Bunnelby are both quite competent fighter, and very good at listening. That won't be the case for all of Tristan's Pokémon, however. Also, I agree with your comment on getting a shiny Pokémon. It's very rare, and very unlikely, but I love shiny Greninja way too much. XD Also, there's another reason for it being shiny, but you'll have to wait until Chapter 7 to see why (kinda).**

**So, I hope those reading enjoyed the last chapter. Last chapter we saw Josh, a mysterious man in all black, battle our protagonist Tristan. What is his intention? Who knows? But, Tristan and friends will try to push that out of their minds… for now. So without further ado, I present to you Chapter 6!**

**Chapter 6 – Clades**

Tristan, Monica and Dash sat around a table in the corner of the Pokémon Center talking amongst themselves about the previous night's events. Dash rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"I'm so confused, to be honest. I have no idea what those guys wanted or why they were here, but at the moment I don't care," the teen muttered quietly. Monica chuckled at Dash's comment and Tristan's lips curled into a smile.

"I'll agree with you on one thing," said Monica, "We shouldn't worry too much about what those two were doing. They're gone and we're all okay, which is all that matters." Tristan and Dash both nodded absently, causing Monica to tilt her head in slight confusion.

"You two have been awfully quiet. You can't be _that _tired, can you?" she quizzed. Tristan, finally coming to life, shook his head.

"Oh, no, I'm perfectly alright. I'm just thinking about today… I think I'm going to go challenge the gym here," he responded slowly. Tristan's two listeners perked up at the statement.

"Are you?" Dash quizzed, "If so, then great! I'll watch the match, if you don't mind." Monica agreed to go to the gym as well. Tristan grinned.

"You guys are too supportive, you know that? I appreciate it, though. So, I guess we can head over to the gym in an hour or so…" Tristan responded.

"Sounds like a plan!" responded the teen's friends.

X-X-X-X

Tristan gripped the door handle excitedly and exhaled. The new trainer quickly opened the door and walked inside a building. He was greeted by a dark-haired lady as he, Monica, and Dash entered.

"Hello, and welcome to the gym! Are you looking to challenge the leader today?" the clerk inquired. Tristan confirmed the clerk's suspicions by nodding.

"Alright! The leader of the gym has no registered challengers today, so feel free to enter and battle her now," said the young woman behind the desk.

"Thank you!" replied the three trainers. Tristan then focused his attention on the large, dark green doors towards the end of the room. _The battle for the badge begins once I step through those doors. Man, I'm excited!_

Within moments Dash had opened one of the green doors and allowed his two friends to enter the room before him. Tristan stepped onto the battlefield, while his friends strode to the bleachers after telling him good luck. Across from the eager teenager stood a woman with short, sandy blond hair and green eyes. She wore what looked like brown boots, knee-length shorts, and a white shirt. She raised an eyebrow as Tristan stepped up to the battlefield.

"I didn't expect to have any challengers today," the woman stated, "But no matter. Now where are my manners? I'm Viola, the bug-type gym leader of Santalune City. I prefer gym battles that are two on two, by the way, is that alright with you?"

"That's quite alright with me. My name's Tristan, by the way," Tristan replied politely. Viola grinned and pulled out a Poké Ball.

"Well then, Tristan, I accept your challenge. Go, Surskit!" Viola cried.

On Viola's side of the battlefield appeared a small blue insect with four long legs. It also had a single yellow antenna that seemed to twitch every so often. Tristan reached for a Poké Ball.

"Alright, let's do this, Bunnelby!" Tristan cried out. The small rabbit appeared on the battlefield with a flash and started to hop around on instinct.

"This is a gym battle, Bunnelby, so let's try out best," instructed Tristan, "So, start out with Quick Attack!" Bunnelby used its powerful legs to give itself a bit of extra speed as it sped quickly towards the opposing Surskit. As the rabbit neared its target, Viola revealed her counterattack.

"Aim Water Sport at the ground, Surskit!" the gym leader ordered. The four-legged bug type opened its mouth and spat out a burst of water onto the ground. Bunnelby kept speeding forward towards Surskit without thinking and, unexpectedly, tripped on the puddle created by Water Sport.

"Crap. Get out of there, Bunnelby!" Tristan said with worry. The normal type Pokémon tried to force itself up quickly, but was rammed to the ground again by Surskit's Quick Attack.

"Go for another Quick Attack, Surskit, don't give Bunnelby a chance!" Viola called out. Surskit once again flashed over to Bunnelby with surprising speed, but the grounded hare caught the speedy bug upon Tristan's request.

"Now slam Surskit to the ground and follow up with Double Slap!" Bunnelby hopped up and, with an over the top midair flip, slammed the blue bug into the ground. Surskit struggled to get up, but was swatted back to the ground with two glowing ears. To everyone in the gym's shock, Viola's first Pokémon was down for the count. The gym leader sighed.

"Surskit return. Thank you for your work, my friend, even when faced against such a strong opponent. Now, Vivillon, it's your time to shine!" Out of Viola's second Poké Ball appeared a gray butterfly Pokémon with large pink butterfly wings. The Pokémon smiled upon being sent out and stared at Bunnelby with sparkling eyes, which unsettled the small rabbit. Noticing this, Tristan spoke up.

"It's alright, Bunnelby, you'll be fine. So let's win this thing, alright?" Bunnelby became calm upon hearing his trainer's reassuring words, and its nervousness faded into excitement. The rabbit balled its ears into fists and began throwing punches into the air, signifying its readiness to battle. Tristan grinned.

"Alright, start with Quick Attack!" Tristan shouted. Bunnelby sped across the battlefield and hopped into the air to ram his opponent, but the pink butterfly dodged easily and gracefully. The rabbit Pokémon landed on the ground and, using the force from the landing, shoved off of the ground again and leapt at Vivillon again.

"Stop Bunnelby's approach with Gust, Vivillon!" Viola countered. Suddenly Vivillon began to flap its wings wildly and kicked up rocks, dust, and dirt as it did so. Within seconds a miniature tornado had formed on the battlefield, and Bunnelby had gotten caught in it!

"Bunnelby get out of there!" Tristan screamed urgently. However, the rabbit Pokémon was unsuccessful, and Vivillon's Gust tossed it around like a ragdoll. Seconds later the Gust was halted, and Bunnelby was thrown to the ground with a dull thud. Bunnelby began to get up, but suddenly found it difficult to do so. Tristan clenched his fists.

"Come on, Bunnelby, I know you can do this!" he called encouragingly. Tristan's words reached the grounded rabbit's ears, but that's all that they were able to do. Upon Viola's orders, Vivillon flew over to the tired normal-type and finished it off with a final Gust. Tristan sighed, but smiled in spite of the event.

"Thank you, Bunnelby, for your hard work. Now, Froakie, let's win this thing!" Tristan released his first Pokémon with a cry of confidence, and the amphibian combatant echoed its trainer's confidence. From across the battlefield Viola smiled.

"Interesting, your Froakie is a shiny one… You're quite the lucky trainer, you know," Viola complimented. Tristan chuckled.

"I guess I am, I guess I am. But shiny or not, Froakie's just as strong!" At this, Viola let out a hearty laugh.

"I admire the faith that you have in your Pokémon! But, let's see you two back it up! Vivillon, use a full powered Gust!" Vivillon nodded and furiously flapped its wings for the third time in the battle, and the miniature tornado began to suck Froakie in. But this time Tristan had a plan.

"Froakie, dive into the Gust!" instructed Tristan. The shiny starter bounded into the gale, and instead of Vivillon's attack sweeping Froakie off of its feet, the Gust actually propelled Froakie towards the surprised bug with great speed.

"Froakie, reveal Water Pulse!" Viola's Pokémon was caught by surprise as a sphere of water was shoved into its face, and the wave that the attack created forced both combatants to the ground. As Froakie landed it backed away hurriedly, in the process dodging Vivillon's Gust. But Froakie's trouble didn't end there.

"Vivillon, add some pressure! Use Poison Powder!" Viola called out. Vivillon's wings began to flap once again, this time releasing a strange purple cloud that advanced towards Froakie. The blue frog managed to dodge the oncoming attack, but was hit by the second. Froakie dropped to one knee as a purple light radiated from his body for a split second. Tristan looked on in worry.

"Give them no time, Vivillon! Fire a Psybeam!" Viola roared. Tristan watched as multiple pink rings crashed into Froakie's body, sending the small creature rolling across the battlefield. Tristan clenched his fist even tighter, but was relieved when Froakie stood up after the seemingly powerful attack. _I guess now is the time to see if this works… _Tristan thought.

"Froakie, approach Vivillon with a zigzagging Quick Attack!" As ordered, Froakie darted across the battlefield in a confusing manner. Vivillon responded with a hasty Gust right in front of the poor creature, however. Tristan grinned.

"Great, now use Gust's force to propel you towards Vivillon and use another Water Pulse!" The gym leader as well as Tristan's friends in the stands widened their eye as the blue blur used Vivillon's Gust to shoot itself like a cannonball. Froakie formed the ball of water in its palm and slammed it forcefully into the butterfly. Vivillon cried out in pain as it fell to the ground, but surprisingly enough was hanging on.

"Vivillon, don't let them approach! Use –" Viola cut herself off as Froakie came down from midair with a glowing fist and whacked the butterfly. The impact kicked some dust up, and after it settled Vivillon had fainted. Viola sighed.

"Thank you, Vivillon. Have some rest," Viola said gratefully. On the opposite end of the battlefield, Tristan beamed in excitement and celebrated. Froakie smiled as well and hopped onto Tristan's shoulder. Viola approached them soon after, not appearing disappointed in the slightest.

"That was wonderful! I'll tell you, your Pokémon strong, and you are as well! The fact that you could think to use my tactics against me so quickly is awesome, and your Pokémon performed so well. Well done, honestly! And with that, I have no qualms with giving you the Bug Badge!" Viola handed Tristan the small metal object. It was a light brown color and slightly rounded, and it had two green circles on it. At the top of the badge there was an arch with green marks on it. Tristan smiled and stored the shining new badge in his badge case.

"Alright! We did it! Thank you for the battle, Viola," Tristan said appreciatively.

"Oh, it was no problem at all! Thank **you **for the battle! Well, I'll see you around. Good luck!" Viola said cheerfully. Tristan began to walk out of the gym as his friends followed, leaving Viola all to herself. Viola reached into her back pocket and pulled out a phone. The gym leader quickly entered a phone number and raised the device to her ear.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me, Viola. Tristan's beaten me in battle, and he's coming along **quite** nicely…"

X-X-X-X

**And that's a wrap! If you thought that this was short, then I'm sorry. I'll try to make the chapters longer, but I didn't want to include more than the battle in this chapter. So, Tristan won his first gym battle with (relative) ease! And, we witnessed Viola talk on the phone at the end. What is she up to? Who knows…? :)**

**I hope you all enjoyed! And now for Tristan's Pokémon:**

**Froakie – Level 15 – Pound, Quick Attack, Water Pulse, Lick**

**Bunnelby – Level 15 – Quick Attack, Double Slap, Mud Slap, Take Down**


	7. Chapter 7 - Gladius

**Alright! So, last chapter Tristan won his first badge somewhat easily, and then left. Meanwhile, Viola talks to someone behind the scenes. You can guess what it's all about, but I won't say. :) I thank you all for reviewing, by the way.**

** FlameStriker123 – Yes, the two are very great battlers. Not all of Tristan's Pokémon will be like that. And, to be honest, I completely forgot about using the Poké Dex for entries. XD Thank you for that, and thanks for the review!**

** ElTorro – I wasn't trying to be unpredictable, but thanks. :D And yes, Froakie is stronger than Bunnelby, but both are very competent fighters. You can't wait for more, you say? Well, here you are! (Thanks for the review, by the way).**

**To the story, I say!**

**Chapter 7 – Gladius**

A shadowy figure sat in a dark room behind a desk staring at three large computer monitors. They glanced at one, and then the other, before grinning.

"Perfect," they mumbled aloud. As they spoke, a man walked into the room covered in black clothes. The man kneeled.

"Leader," said the man, "the boy has just –." The person behind the monitors cut them off quickly.

"I am well aware, Drew. Now, why don't you go be a useful admin for once? Didn't I tell you to do something? I did, now go do it! I have work to do," came the scathing reply. Drew reacted to his leader's words with wide eyes.

"Y-Yes, Leader, of course. I'll get right on that, I'm sorry," the admin stammered. Then the man left as quickly as he came. The figure in the chair sighed and shook their head.

"Idiot. Now, where was I…?"

**X-X-X-X**

Tristan smiled as his friendly frog Pokémon jumped onto his shoulder. Froakie was smiling as well, still excited about the gym battle that he had helped Tristan to win a day ago. The small amphibious creature then decided to hop onto the ground, and began to hop along the dirt path ahead of him. Tristan chuckled at his starter's eagerness.

"I know you're excited, Froakie, I am too. We should arrive at Lumiose City in a few hours, though, so don't get too impatient," Tristan told the frog. Froakie seemed to sigh and then shrug its shoulders before hopping into its Poké Ball. _It's a good thing that Froakie's getting some rest, he's gonna need it after the gym battle we just had. I may visit the Pokémon Center when we get to Lumiose just in case._

Wordlessly, Tristan began to walk down the dirt path before him with excitement. He couldn't explain why he felt the way he did, but somewhere in his mind he had the feeling that something interesting was going to happen that day.

X-X-X-X

***?'s POV*******

I saw a teen with brown hair and blue eyes walk into the Pokémon Center about twenty yards away. A Froakie was resting on his shoulder, and the two seemed to be having a conversation. I smiled. _Perhaps he's the one I'm looking for. Who knows? I'll just have to wait and see…_

It was then that I forced myself to stand up and move away from the bench that I was sitting on, and instead walk towards the red roofed building that I saw the teen stride into. I checked to make sure that all of my Pokémon's Poké Balls were beneath my black jacket, and they were. My smile turned into a grin. _Here we go._

X-X-X-X

***Normal POV (3****rd**** person)*******

Tristan was more than excited to see the massive area that was Lumiose City, and the newly present Froakie was as well. _But first, _Tristan thought, _I think it would be best to visit the Pokémon Center._

The fifteen-year-old began to approach the red roofed building, while discussing with his water starter where they would go next. Upon entering, the trainer approached Nurse Joy's counter and set Froakie and Bunnelby's Poké Balls down.

"Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?" Nurse Joy inquired. Tristan nodded.

"I'm sure my Pokémon would like that, yes. I'll see you in a bit, Froakie." The amphibian nodded slowly before being zapped into the spherical device, and Nurse Joy walked over to the healing machine nearby. Tristan decided to look around the center to pass the short amount of time, and saw that it was empty. Not a soul sat on the bright red benches, or read from the solitary bookshelf in the corner of the building. It was then that the teen spotted someone sitting on the opposite side of the center.

They appeared to be around Tristan's age, and caught the new trainer's attention with their black jacket and red shirt. Both the stranger and Tristan made eye contact for a split second, allowing the latter to observe his black eyes. Tristan soon averted his gaze.

"Gah, I hate it when that happens…" Tristan mumbled absently. Nurse Joy, however, snapped the teen out of his musings and the Kalosian happily took his two Pokémon back from the pink haired caretaker. _Now that that's done, I think it's time to go explore the city, _Tristan decided. The teen began to walk towards the door, and as he did he noticed the stranger from before do the same. Choosing to ignore the coincidence, Tristan quickly stepped out of the building and began to walk down the street that went around the city.

Suddenly, a white flash appeared. Tristan's bubble bearing partner appeared on his shoulder with a grin. Tristan couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Froakie. You can't stay in your Poké Ball for too long, can you? I don't blame you," said the Kalosian sympathetically. Froakie opted not to respond. Instead, the blue frog began to observe the massive city around him. The water type sat perched upon his trainer's shoulder in awe as it observed the tall structure in the middle of the city. After a minute had passed, Froakie suddenly became more aware of its surroundings than before. Froakie tapped Tristan on the shoulder and jerked his head in the direction behind him.

"What's up? Is there something behind us?" the teen quizzed. Froakie nodded. Tristan snuck a cursory glance behind him, and saw the same teenager from the Pokémon Center. The concerned trainer stopped and addressed the person following him.

"Can I help you?" Tristan asked calmly. The stranger in black stopped.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry! Did I freak you out by following you? I meant to stop you once we got out of the Pokémon Center, but I forgot to," he answered. Tristan nodded slowly.

"Okay… So what do you need me for?" Tristan inquired awkwardly. The other trainer smiled and extended his hand.

"Well, first of all, my name's Blade. It's nice to meet you." Tristan took Blade's proffered hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Blade. I'm Tristan," was the reply. Blade nodded and spoke up immediately.

"Well, I saw you and your Froakie walk into the Pokémon Center, and I decided to go talk to you in order to see if you wanted to battle. But, I ended up getting distracted and forgot to say something," Blade explained. Tristan was somewhat surprised by the answer, as he did not expect it, but considered the proposal nonetheless.

"You know what? If my Pokémon are up for it, then I am too. Froakie, are you okay with this?" The amphibian Pokémon cheered confidently and hopped onto the ground. Blade nodded slowly and lifted the side of his jacket. Tristan saw his tall adversary reach for a row of Poké Balls on the inside of his jacket, and soon enough Blade had picked one of the spherical devices.

"Is a one on one battle fine?" Blade asked politely. Tristan grinned.

"Heck yeah! Alright, Froakie, let's do this!" Tristan shouted ecstatically. Blade couldn't help but chuckle at Tristan's eagerness. The once mysterious trainer turned a Poké Ball over in his hand and then tossed the red and white device into the air.

"Alright, Pawniard, the battle begins!" A small humanoid creature appeared on the battlefield opposite of Froakie. It had a mostly dark gray body, with the exception of red extremities. Tristan could see blades protrude from the Pokémon's hands, torso, and head, giving it a very menacing appearance. Pawniard's yellow eyes seemed to gaze into Froakie's soul, unnerving the water type greatly. It was then that Tristan reached into his back pocket and pulled out the Pokédex. _That thing is so cool, not gonna lie. Now, let's see what this thing has to say about it… _The Pokédex began to speak in its metallic voice.

"Pawniard, the Sharp Blade Pokémon. Blades comprise this Pokémon's entire body. If battling dulls the blades, it sharpens them on stones by the river." The red device also informed Tristan that Pawniard was a dark and steel type. The information did not bode well with the novice trainer as he pocketed the Pokédex. _So not only does Pawniard have a pretty intimidating presence, but it also has a type known for being able to take a lot of hits. This will be tough, but Froakie can do it._

"Alright, Froakie, there's no reason to be scared. Let's start off with Quick Attack!" Froakie obeyed and almost immediately bolted towards his opponent at a high speed. Pawniard remained calm and unflinching, and then suddenly disappeared. Froakie came to a halt and looked around in panic, unsure of where Pawniard could be.

As if on cue, the grey and red creature appeared from behind Froakie and punched it with a fist surrounded in spiraling purple energy. The amphibian cried out in pain as was shoved to the ground.

"Follow up with Iron Head, Pawniard!" Blade instructed. Pawniard's head began to take on a metallic shine, and the chess piece leapt up and attempted to slam its head into Froakie. Upon orders from its trainer, Froakie rolled out of the way at the last second, which caused Pawniard to get the blade on its head wedged firmly in the street. Both Tristan and his starter grinned.

"Captialize on that with Water Pulse!" Froakie sped over to the stuck dark and steel type and delivered a powerful blow to Pawniard's face. The ball of water in Froakie's hand exploded with water and forced the humanoid creature into the air, allowing Froakie to chase it with another sphere of water. _Just a bit closer… _Blade thought.

"Now, Pawniard, use Sucker Punch!" Once again the living chess piece vanished into thin air, leaving an airborne amphibian all by himself. Pawniard appeared moments later in Froakie's blind spot, nailing the poor Pokémon with its bladed fist for the second time. Froakie was sent spiraling towards the ground and kicked up dust upon impact.

"Are you alright?" was Tristan's concerned question. The teen watched as the water type struggled to get up, eventually dropping to one knee. Froakie tried to stand up once more, but fell flat on its face. Tristan couldn't stand to see the sight any more.

"Froakie, return," he said with a sigh. The red beam from the Poké Ball zoomed towards the injured Pokémon, but Froakie decided to move out of the way at the last second. Tristan was puzzled, but his questions were answered when he saw Froakie become cloaked in a bright light.

The once small frog grew slightly larger, just like the bubbles around its neck. Froakie's evolution had a light blue underside, as well as a darker blue backside. Tristan grinned as wide a possible.

"Wow, that's awesome!" the trainer shouted with genuine excitement. Tristan immediately grabbed for his Poké Dex. It said in a metallic voice:

"Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Its swiftness is unparalleled. It can scale a tower of more than 2,000 feet in a minute's time. New move learned: Smokescreen." With this new information in mind, Tristan pocketed the red device.

"That's awesome! Are you ready, Froagdier?" Tristan asked the newly evolved Pokémon. The new and improved starter cheered with renewed energy, prompting Tristan to give him a command.

"Alright, use Smokescreen!" Suddenly, Frogadier slammed its hand on the ground and a cloud of smoke appeared that covered the battlefield.

"Be careful out there, Pawniard!" Blade instructed. Pawniard obeyed and prepared itself for an attack, but one never came. The battlefield was silent.

"Go in for a Water Pulse, Frogadier!" Tristan shouted. Both trainers heard the sound of Pawniard and Frogadier shouting, then a loud splash, and finally a smack. Both trainers called out to their Pokémon, but neither got a reply. However, the smoke cleared within seconds, and Frogadier was revealed to be out cold on his back. Pawniard, meanwhile, was down on one knee in pain. Tristan, though shocked at the loss, walked up to Blade as he returned Frogadier.

"Holy crap, that was close! That was a great battle, Blade. Your Pawniard is really strong," Tristan praised. Blade smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Haha, thanks. Your Frogadier is strong too, more so than I thought. I'd love to battle again sometime, if you're up for it," Blade offered. Tristan nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," the teen agreed. Blade then revealed a potion from his bag and sprayed Pawniard with it, and the dark type's fatigue and pain washed away. The dark haired trainer then offered Tristan a potion, but the latter waved him off.

"I appreciate the kindness, Blade, I really do. But I'd hate to waste your stuff. After all, the Pokémon Center is really close." Blade shrugged.

"Alright, if you insist. Well, I'll see you around sometime, Tristan." The two then shook hands, and Blade walked off down the street. Tristan turned around silently and walked back to the Pokémon Center.

X-X-X-X

The teen in black and red walked down the street with his Pawniard next him.

"Man! His Frogadier was stronger than I thought! It actually amazes me. Most Frogadier shouldn't be like that, after all," Blade muttered. Pawniard crossed its bladed arms and nodded slowly. It was then that the living chess piece tapped its trainer's leg to catch his attention. Blade looked down at the dark type Pokémon in confusion, who raised an arm to his head in response.

"Oh, right, right. Thanks for the reminder," the trainer said gratefully. Blade reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a phone. The dark haired teen began to hurriedly tap the phone's screen, and then raised the device to his ear.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me, Blade. You wanted me to fight Tristan, right? Well, I did. His Froakie just evolved into Frogadier, and let me be the first to say that it's stronger than I expected. Hm? Did I lose? No, no I didn't… Okay, sure. I'll talk to you or one of the others later." The teen then ended the call and pocketed the phone before looking down at his Pokémon friend.

"Well, it looks like we're free to do whatever for a bit. I guess we should head to the next city, right?" Blade inquired. Pawniard nodded silently and then entered his Poké Ball, leaving Blade alone. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. _Well, so far so good…_

X-X-X-X

**Well, well, well! That was the end of the chapter! I'm SOOOO sorry for taking so long to post this thing. It was partially due to laziness, but there were other factors involved. So, I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Feel free to make any predictions about what Pokémon Tristan will catch eventually, what may happen in the near future, or who the heck Blade is. (Also, that Pawniard is a beast, and will continue to be). And finally, for those who are interested, here is Tristan's team:**

**Frogadier – Level 18 – Smokescreen, Quick Attack, Lick, Water Pulse**

**Bunnelby – Level 16 – Quick Attack, Double Slap, Take Down, Mud Slap**


End file.
